Always
by The Sacred and Profane
Summary: Raven's always been hiding herself from the world. Now Beast Boy's going to help her face it.Oneshot. Please R&R.


Always

AN: I do not own anything in this story. Please R&R.

The boy was lying in a field covered in flowers. Blue sky was overhead and the boy sighed in contentment. A pale beauty came walking slowly up to the boy.

"How are you?"

"Better now that you're here." The boy smiled up at this angel, this vision. The pale teen blushed a little and then sat above the boy's head. She reached out a pale hand and started stroking his hair.

"I didn't treat you well today, did I?"

"I've gotten used to it." But this didn't sway the girl softly caressing him.

"You need to tell me."

"I can't." The girl looked at the boy with eyes filled with sorrow. The space around them disappeared leaving the two floating in darkness. Eventually the girl too started fading away.

"Tell me." The girl said in parting.

Beast Boy shot up out of bed and nearly cried out with longing for the girl to come back. Then he realized he was awake. He shut off his alarm clock blaring out some inane song and got up to shower. As the warm water cascaded down his shoulders the changeling thought about the dream he had just had. Should he finally tell her?

Raven was calmly sipping some herbal tea when Beast Boy came into the kitchen with a serious expression on his face. Paying it no mind, Raven resumed reading her newest book. She heard Beast Boy fumble about for something but then he gave up and sat down on the living room couch. Again Raven ignored him. After waiting several moments for him to prank her or launch into his series of clichéd jokes, Raven got up and sat down beside him.

"Is something wrong?" He didn't respond. She reached out a hand and poked him on the shoulder. "Garfield?" At his name, the changeling looked at Raven as if he just realized she was in the room.

"Hey Raven." His tone wasn't as spirited as it normally was. "I'm just having some odd dreams."

"Want to talk about them?" Beast Boy nodded and then began speaking.

"It starts with me seeing a boy lying in a field. He's waiting for someone, a girl. She shows up and starts softly caressing him and soothing him. Then she start's getting depressed and tells the boy to tell her something. The boy says he can't and then everything fades to black and I wake up. Do you have any ideas about these dreams?" The empath thought for a moment and then came upon a decision.

"Your subconscious is telling you to reveal something." Beast Boy was silent for a long time and Raven didn't know what he was thinking. Then he spoke three words.

"I love you." Raven's eyes widened at that. She got up and then ran to her room. Beast Boy followed hot on her heels until he was cut off by her door. "Rae open the door! You have to give me an answer!" Nothing was heard from Raven's room but then Beast Boy saw a flash of light and knew where she had gone. Running into her room, he found the mirror into Raven's mind and was soon sucked into the empath's head.

Raven had fled to the innermost corner of her mind, no emotions calmed her, she just stayed still and in her mind she replayed those three words Beast Boy had told her. Tears fell down her face as she remembered what happened the last time someone had told her they loved her.

The changeling was walking under a gray sky and scorched earth was underneath his feet. Soon the ground grew lush grass and flowers and the sky became robin's egg blue. Happy was standing there with a beaming smile on her face.

"BB, come and tell me more of your jokes!" The pink clad emotion said in a bubbly tone.

"Let me pass. She's not going to hide from the world anymore." The changeling said in a serious tone. He walked past the emotion, which didn't put up any resistance. Exiting Happy's realm he soon came upon Bravery's domain. Scores of monsters rushed towards the changeling but he just dodged their rending talons and moved on. Soon Bravery appeared and stood in front of him.

"You can't go any further, BB." The changeling ignored the emotion and walked on. Bravery tackled him to the ground and tried to restrain him. "Listen to me! She doesn't want to deal with this right now!" Bravery yelled into his face. Beast Boy grabbed the emotion's arms and calmly but firmly removed them from his body and walked on.

"She can't stay locked away from everything. Now don't get in my way." Eventually he came upon the trembling form of Timid.

"Don't go, Beast Boy. You'll hurt her. She's always been hurt by the people she cares about." Timid said in a whisper.

"Love is gentle." The changeling whispered back and patted the emotion on the shoulder. "Don't worry." Then he walked on and soon the sky turned blood red and the ground started to crack. Rage appeared in a blood red cloak. Although Trigon was no more, this emotion retained some of his malice still.

"LEAVE US ALONE! NO ONE CAN LOVE US! JUST GO!" Beast Boy ignored the warning and walked onwards. Rage's form turned into a thing of darkness with four glowing red eyes and many grasping claws. Beast Boy opened his arms to the thing and embraced it. Soon the emotion returned back to normal and walked on. The ground turned into tile and the scenery became a huge library filled with books. Knowledge and Wisdom appeared before the changeling.

"Turn back you're going to kill her if you go any further." Knowledge said.

"You're acting foolishly." Wisdom chimed in.

"And though I speak in the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am nothing." Beast Boy walked past the emotions and soon the library vanished. Beast Boy found himself in a gray area, devoid of anything. He found his pale beauty on her knees, crying her eyes out. The changeling helped her to her feet. She didn't meet his eyes and continued to cry. "Look at me." The changeling said softly. Raven's pale face rose to meet his gaze and the changeling brushed away her tears. Then he wrapped his arms around her slender frame and hugged onto her tightly. "I'll never leave you. I'll stay with you always." He whispered to her. Raven hugged back and then the two were pulled out of Nevermore and into Raven's room.

"I love you too, Gar." The changeling smiled at her and stroked her hair. "Always."


End file.
